A 4-3 fit is often known as a [ilink url=”http://csbnews.org/new/the-moysian-fit/?lang=en”]Moysian fit[/ilink]. Here is a board where a contract was reached with an even more shaky trump-holding, displaying poor bridge from both sides. This is a self-experienced example, against an elderly couple with more experience than skills. South was dealer, with all vulnerable:
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| |
Me |
|
Partner |
| |
|
|
1NT1 |
| Dbl2 |
2 |
Pass |
2 3 |
| Pass |
Pass4 |
Pass |
|
1- 15-17, obviously trying to maximise his chances of playing the hand.
2- Not alerted, but this seems to be a typical “optional double”. The definition is that you give partner an option — if (s)he passes when the contract makes an overtrick it’s always their fault.
3-Still trying to play the hand. We had no agreements, generally following the principle that everything that could be misunderstood should be misunderstood (it’s possible to use transfers here).
4-I saw no reason to rescue partner as long as it was undoubled. As a sidenote, the last time a partner had bid like this he had opened a “semibalanced” 15-17 NT with 2=7=2=2 and seven running hearts. Neither of these 1NT openings would be considered standard, but on reflection they were both playing with me, which seems to have influenced my partners towards some discreet hogging…
You might think the reason this hand found its way to this web-site was that we were doubled in 1NT and found a way to play undoubled in our 3-2 fit with a 7 card fit in all other suits? Also note that we have no making contract above 2
. Well, the play is the thing, and partner received a club lead to the King and Ace.
He then played a diamond to the Queen and another diamond to the King and Ace. West now happily tried to cash his
J, but unluckily this was ruffed. Declarer cashed the
Q and ruffed a club. East was quick to ruff the fourth round of diamonds, overruffed with the Ace and West discarded a spade. A club was ruffed by East (West and dummy discarding spades), who returned a spade.
Since West had only trumps left he had to ruff the last club, but East was already into the habit of ruffing, so she overruffed.
This was the end position:
Now at last the contract was unbeatable, the J8 of hearts in dummy would always be promoted to a trick (East had only the singleton Queen left, her partner had K94). +110 was an excellent matchpoint score for North/South.
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